Kings landing in the north

August 4 ^th 2025 - 12:10 [GMT + 2]

• 108 riders will take part in the Arctic Race of Norway from August 7 to 10. Among them is Britain's Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), who just won the European Mountain Bike Championship last week and will now take on the challenging roads of the Arctic Circle.
• Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) and Dylan Teuns (Cofidis) will be going for their second win on Norwegian roads, while Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) will be desperate to get his record-breaking run going.
• Kevin Vermaerke (Team Picnic PostNL) will be looking for better luck after finishing third in the last two editions. Clément Champoussin (XDS Astana Team), who finished a heartbreaking 2^nd place last year, 17 seconds behind Magnus Cort, will also be back with high hopes.

As is often the case in the Arctic Race of Norway, the local Uno-X Mobility team brings out the big boys to defend its title and succeed Magnus Cort, fielding Andreas Leknessund, who will attempt to win the Midnight Sun jersey again (after 2022) in his hometown of Tromso, and Alexander Kristoff, who will have the opportunity to close in on his 100^th career victory (97) and improve his record for stage wins in the event (7), having won the first two stages last year and the overall classification in 2014.

Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) will be the favorite, having just won the European Mountain Bike Championships last week, and being the two-time defending Olympic champion in cross-country mountain biking (2020 and 2024), stage winner at the Tour de France (2022) and classics such as Strade Bianche (2023) and the Amstel Gold Race (2024), with a course that could showcase his strengths. Dylan Teuns (Cofidis), two-time stage winner in the Tour de France (2019 and 2021), will return to Norwegian roads in search of a second overall title after 2017. Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) will also be at the start in Borkenes after pulling out of the Tour de France following a crash in the final of the 7^th stage.

Clément Champoussin (XDS Astana Team) and Kevin Vermaerke (Team Picnic PostNL) will be keen to take revenge after finishing on the podium in 2024. While the Frenchman will be aiming to put his country on the Arctic Race winners' list, the american will be looking to improve on his third-place finishes in the last two editions, with both riders chasing their first professional title. Among the contenders, Corbin Strong (Israel – Premier Tech), recent winner of the Tour de Wallonie, and Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team), stage winner in the Giro and third in the Arctic Race in 2023, will certainly have a chance to surprise the favorites. Jelle Johannink (Unibet Tietema Rockets) will be aiming to win the Northern Lights Jersey sponsored by Aibel, as he did last year when he was the best climber in the race.

The two local teams – Team Coop - Repsol, and Lillehammer CK Continental Team – and the National Norwegian Team will be looking to shine a spotlight on Norway's young talent. More than a third of the peloton will be chasing the coveted white jersey for best young rider, led by Kevin Vermaerke. Behind him Bjoern Koerdt (Team Pinic PostNL), 4^th best young rider in the Tour of Norway, Davide De Pretto and Felix Engelhardt (Team Jayco AlUla), who made a name for themselves during the Giro, Riley Sheehan (Israel – Premier Tech), winner of Paris-Tours in 2023, Aivaras Mikutis (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), reigning Lithuanian road and time trial champion, and promising French rider Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies), twice awarded the combativity prize at the 2025 Tour de France, will all be hoping to claim this distinctive jersey on the final podium in Tromso.

18 teams, the main participants:

 

Australia:

Team Jayco AlUla : Eddie Dunbar (IRL), Davide De Pretto (ITA), Asbjorn Hellemose (NOR)

 

Belgium:

Intermarché – Wanty : Arne Marit (BEL), Lorenzo Rota (ITA)

Team Flanders – Baloise : Jonas Geens (BEL), Jules Hesters (BEL)

 

France:

Cofidis : Dylan Teuns (BEL), Jesus Herrada (ESP)

Arkea-B&B Hotels : Simon Guglielmi (FRA), Jenthe Biermans (BEL)

TotalEnergies : Pierre Latour (FRA), Mattéo Vercher (FRA)

Unibet Tietema Rockets : Jelle Johannink (NED), Lander Loockx (BEL)

 

Israel:

Israel – Premier Tech : Hugo Houle (CAN), Corbin John Strong (NZL)

 

Kazakstan:

XDS Astana Team : Clément Champoussin (FRA), Christian Scaroni (ITA)

 

Netherlands:

Team Picnic PostNL : Kevin Vermaerke (USA), Bjoern Koerdt (GBR)

 

Norway:

Uno-X Mobility : Andreas Leknessund (NOR), Alexander Kristoff (NOR)

Norwegian Team : Sven Erik Bystrom (NOR), Tord Gudmestad (NOR)

Team Coop – Repsol : Anton H Stensby (NOR), Storm Ingebrigtsen (NOR)

Lillehammer CK Continental Team : Ludvik Aspelund Holstad (NOR), Ulrik Tvedt (NOR)

 

Spain:

Burgos-Burpellet-BH : Clément Alleno (FRA), Hugo De La Calle Arango (ESP)

Equipo Kern Pharma : Pau Miquel Delgado (ESP), Unai Iribar Jauregi (ESP)

 

Switzerland:

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team : Tom Pidcock (GBR), Mark Donovan (GBR)

Tudor Pro Cycling Team : Rick Pluimers (NED), Florian Stork (GER)